Spool and lacing module provided with same

ABSTRACT

A spool includes a shaft, a trunk, and a connection connecting the shaft and trunk. The shaft rotates around a central axis. In the trunk, a string is wound on a radially outer surface. The trunk has a flange, and a recess recessed axially upward from a lower surface of the trunk. The flange protrudes radially outward from a lower end of the trunk. The connection is disposed inside the recess and engaged with the trunk in a circumferential direction and a lower surface is connected to the shaft. The connection has a groove recessed axially downward from an upper surface of the connection and is disposed with the string, and an engagement claw disposed in an upper end of the connection. The trunk has an engagement portion disposed on a radially inner surface of the recess and engaged axially with the engagement claw.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-173572 filed on Oct. 14, 2020, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a spool and a lacing module provided with the spool.

BACKGROUND

A conventional spool for tightening a shoelace or the like often includes an upper plate, a lower plate, and a drum disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate. A winding passage in which a string material is disposed is provided on the upper surface of the upper plate. With the forward or reverse rotation of the drum, the string material is wound around or unwound around the radially outer surface of the drum.

However, the conventional spool has a problem that the string material is disengaged from the spool.

SUMMARY

An exemplary spool of the present disclosure includes a shaft, a trunk portion, and a connection portion. The shaft rotates around a central axis extending vertically. In the trunk portion, a string material is wound on a radially outer surface. The connection portion connects the shaft and the trunk portion. The trunk portion has a first recess portion and a lower flange portion. The first recess portion is recessed axially upward from a lower surface of the trunk portion. The lower flange portion protrudes radially outward from a lower end portion of the trunk portion and is formed in an annular shape. The connection portion is disposed inside the first recess portion and engaged with the trunk portion in a circumferential direction and a lower surface is connected to the shaft. The connection portion has a first groove portion and an engagement claw. The first groove portion is recessed axially downward from an upper surface of the connection portion and is disposed with the string material. The engagement claw is disposed in an upper end portion of the connection portion. The trunk portion has an engagement portion. The engagement portion is disposed on a radially inner surface of the first recess portion and engaged axially with the engagement claw.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a lacing module according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a spool according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from above;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spool according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from below;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the spool according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a connection portion of the spool according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a part of the spool according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a part of a spool according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the specification, a direction in which a central axis of a shaft of a spool extends is simply referred to as an “axial direction”, a direction orthogonal to the central axis of the shaft of the spool as the center is simply referred to as a “radial direction”, and a direction extending along a circular arc centered on the central axis of the shaft of the spool is simply referred to as a “circumferential direction”. Further, in this specification, for the sake of convenience of the description, the shapes and positional relations of portions will be described on the assumption that the axial direction is a vertical direction, and the vertical direction in FIG. 3 is the vertical direction of the shaft of the spool. Incidentally, the above definition of the vertical direction is not meant to restrict the orientation of, or positional relationships among parts of, the spool during use. Further, in the specification, a section parallel to the axial direction is referred to as a “longitudinal section”. Further, the term “parallel” used in the specification does not mean parallel in a strict sense, but includes substantially parallel.

FIG. 1 is a top view schematically illustrating a configuration of a lacing module 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The lacing module 10 is attached to footwear such as an exercise shoe, and can electrically tighten or loosen a shoelace (string material) S of the footwear.

The lacing module 10 includes a motor 11, a spool 20, a battery 13, and a housing 14. The motor 11 is electrically connected to the battery 13, and rotates about a rotation shaft C by the current supplied from the battery 13.

The gear 12 is connected to the rotation shaft C of the motor 11 and is connected to a shaft 40 of the spool 20 described later via an intermediate gear (not illustrated). The driving of the motor 11 causes the gear 12 to rotate in both forward and reverse directions about the rotation shaft C. The shaft 40 rotates in both forward and reverse directions about a central axis J (see FIG. 2) in conjunction with the rotation of the gear 12. A shoelace S is wound or unwound around the spool 20 by forward and reverse rotation of the shaft 40.

The housing 14 houses the motor 11, the spool 20, and the battery 13 therein. In the housing 14, outlets 14a and 14b are opened, and the shoelace S is drawn out to the outside of the housing 14 through the outlets 14a and 14b.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the spool 20 as viewed from above, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the spool 20 as viewed from below. Further, FIG. 4 is a side view of the spool 20. The spool 20 includes a trunk portion 30, the shaft 40, and a connection portion 50. The shaft 40 has a columnar shape and rotates about the central axis J extending vertically.

The trunk portion 30 is formed in a disk shape having a diameter larger than that of the shaft 40, and the shoelace S is wound around the radially outer surface. The trunk portion 30 includes an upper flange portion 31, a lower flange portion 32, a through hole (first recess portion) 33, an engagement portion 36, a trunk groove portion (second groove portion) 34, and a slit 35.

The upper flange portion 31 protrudes radially outward from the upper end portion of the trunk portion 30 and is formed in an annular shape. The upper flange portion 31 prevents the shoelace S wound around the radially outer surface of the trunk portion 30 from coming off axially upward.

The lower flange portion 32 protrudes radially outward from the lower end portion of the trunk portion 30 and is formed in an annular shape. The lower flange portion 32 supports the shoelace S wound around the radially outer surface of the trunk portion 30, and prevents the shoelace S from coming off axially downward.

The through hole 33 penetrates the trunk portion 30 in the axial direction. Incidentally, instead of the through hole 33, a non-penetrating recess portion recessed axially upward from the lower surface of the trunk portion 30 may be provided. The lower portion of the through hole 33 is formed in a quadrangular prism shape and is fitted to the connection portion 50 described later. The engagement portion 36 protrudes radially inward from the radially inner surface of the through hole 33 and is formed in an annular shape. That is, the engagement portion 36 is disposed on the radially inner surface of the through hole 33 (see FIG. 6).

The trunk groove portion 34 is recessed axially upward from the lower surface of the trunk portion 30 and extends radially outward from the through hole 33. The shoelace S is disposed inside the trunk groove portion 34. Thus, the shoelace S can be easily guided radially outward from the through hole 33.

The slit 35 penetrates the lower flange portion 32 in the axial direction and extends radially inward from the radially outer peripheral edge of the lower flange portion 32. Further, the slit 35 linearly extends continuously with the trunk groove portion 34. Thus, the shoelace S can be inserted into the slit 35 from the trunk groove portion 34 and easily guided to the radially outer surface of the trunk portion 30.

Thus, the shoelace S can be easily inserted into the slit 35 from the trunk groove portion 34, and the assembling workability of the spool 20 is improved. Further, the shoelace S guided to the radially outer surface of the trunk portion 30 can be prevented from coming off axially downward from the slit 35.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the connection portion 50, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a part of the spool 20. The connection portion 50 is a resin molded article and is formed in a cubic shape. The connection portion 50 is disposed inside the through hole 33 to be engaged with the trunk portion 30 in the circumferential direction, and has a lower surface connected to the shaft 40. The connection portion 50 has a connection groove portion (first groove portion) 51, an engagement claw 52, and a connection recess portion 53.

The connection groove portion 51 is recessed axially downward from the upper surface of the connection portion 50 and disposed with the shoelace S. The engagement claw 52 protrudes axially upward from the upper surface of the connection portion 50. A pair of engagement claws 52 is disposed with the connection groove portion 51 interposed therebetween.

The engagement claw 52 has an erected portion 52 a and a projection portion 52 b. The erected portion 52 a extends axially upward from the upper surface of the connection portion 50. The projection portion 52 b protrudes radially outward from the upper end portion of the erected portion 52 a. The erected portion 52 a is bent in the radial direction.

The connection recess portion 53 is recessed axially upward from the lower surface of the connection portion 50, and the upper end portion of the shaft is disposed inside. The upper end portion of the shaft 40 and the connection recess portion 53 are bonded via an adhesive. By providing the connection recess portion 53, a contact area between the shaft 40 and the connection portion 50 is increased so that the shaft 40 and the connection portion 50 can be firmly connected. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the trunk portion 30 and the shaft 40 are connected via an adhesive, but the trunk portion 30 and the shaft 40 may be connected by insert molding without using the adhesive.

A contact surface X of the shaft 40 with the connection portion 50 has a surface roughness larger than a non-contact surface Y of the shaft 40 with the connection portion 50. Thus, adhesion between the shaft 40 and the connection portion 50 is improved, and the shaft 40 and the connection portion 50 can be more firmly connected. Further, at the upper end portion of the shaft 40, the surface roughness of a radially outer surface X1 in contact with the connection recess portion 53 is larger than the surface roughness of an upper surface X2 in contact with the connection recess portion 46. Thus, the adhesion between the shaft 40 rotating about the central axis J and the connection portion 50 is further improved.

The material configuring the shaft 40 has a higher rigidity than the material configuring the connection portion 50. Specifically, at least a part of the shaft 40 is made of metal. Thus, a durability and low noise of the shaft 40 can be improved.

When the trunk portion 30 and the shaft 40 are connected, the upper end portion of the engagement claw 52 is inserted into the through hole 33 in a state where the shoelace S is inserted into the connection groove portion 51. At this time, the projection portion 52 b abuts on the radially inner surface of the engagement portion 36, and the erected portion 52 a is bent radially inward. Further, by inserting the connection portion 50 into the through hole 33, the projection portion 52 b is released axially upward from the upper end of the engagement portion 36, and the bending of the erected portion 52 a is restored. At this time, the lower surface of the projection portion 52 b comes into contact with the upper surface of the engagement portion 36, and the engagement claw 52 and the engagement portion 36 are engaged in the axial direction. Further, the connection portion 50 is fitted into the through hole 33 and is engaged with the trunk portion 30 in the circumferential direction.

At this time, the shoelace S is held in the connection groove portion 51 and fixed to the spool 20. Therefore, the shoelace S can be prevented from coming off from the spool 20. Further, the shoelace S can be fixed to the spool 20 in a series of operations of connecting the shaft 40 and the trunk portion 30. Thus, the number of portions of the spool 20 can be reduced to reduce a manufacturing cost, and an assembly workability can be improved.

When a pair of the engagement claws 52 is provided with the connection groove portion 51 interposed therebetween, the engagement claws 52 and the engagement portion 36 can be more firmly engaged in the axial direction.

Next, a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a part of the spool 20 according to the second embodiment. For convenience of explanation, the same portions as those in the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in a structure for connecting the connection portion 50 and the shaft 40. Other portions are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The connection portion 50 has a pile portion 59. The pile portion 59 protrudes axially downward from the lower surface of the connection portion 50. The shaft 40 has an insertion hole 49. The insertion hole 49 is recessed in the axial direction from the upper surface of the shaft 40, and the pile portion 59 is disposed inside. By providing the pile portion 59, a contact area between the shaft 40 and the connection portion 50 is increased so that the shaft 40 and the connection portion 50 can be more firmly connected.

In the shaft 40, the surface roughness of the radially inner surface of the insertion hole 49 is larger than the surface roughness of the radially outer surface, and thus the adhesion between the shaft 40 and the connection portion 50 is improved so that the shaft 40 and the connection portion 50 can be more firmly connected.

The present disclosure is applicable to, for example, a spool mounted on a lacing module.

Features of the above-described preferred embodiments and the modifications thereof may be combined appropriately as long as no conflict arises.

While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A spool comprising: a shaft which rotates about a central axis extending vertically; a trunk portion in which a string material is wound on a radially outer surface; and a connection portion which connects the shaft and the trunk portion, wherein the trunk portion has a first recess portion which is recessed axially upward from a lower surface, an annular lower flange portion which protrudes radially outward from a lower end portion, and an engagement portion which is disposed on a radially inner surface of the first recess portion, and the connection portion is disposed inside the first recess portion such that a lower surface is connected to the shaft, and has a first groove portion which is recessed axially downward from an upper surface and disposed with the string material and an engagement claw which is disposed in an upper end portion and engaged axially with the engagement portion.
 2. The spool according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the engagement claws is disposed with the first groove portion interposed therebetween.
 3. The spool according to claim 1, wherein the engagement claw has an erected portion which extends axially upward from the upper surface of the connection portion, and a projection portion which protrudes radially outward from an upper end portion of the erected portion, and the engagement portion protrudes radially inward from a radially inner surface of the first recess portion, and an upper surface is in contact with a lower surface of the projection portion.
 4. The spool according to claim 1, wherein the trunk portion has a second groove portion which is recessed axially upward from the lower surface and extends radially outward from the first recess portion to be disposed with the string material.
 5. The spool according to claim 4, wherein the trunk portion has a slit which penetrates the lower flange portion in an axial direction and extends radially inward from a radially outer peripheral edge of the lower flange portion.
 6. The spool according to claim 5, wherein an inner wall of the slit has an inclined surface of which a width narrows toward an axially upper side.
 7. The spool according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion is made of resin, and at least a part of the shaft is made of metal.
 8. The spool according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface of the shaft with the connection portion has a larger surface roughness than a non-contact surface of the shaft with the connection portion.
 9. The spool according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion has a connection recess portion which is recessed axially upward from a lower surface and disposed with an upper end portion of the shaft, and in an upper end of the shaft, a surface roughness of a radially outer surface in contact with the connection recess portion is larger than a surface roughness of an upper surface in contact with the connection recess portion.
 10. The spool according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion has a pile portion which protrudes axially downward from a lower surface, and the shaft has an insertion hole which is recessed axially downward from an upper surface and disposed with the pile portion.
 11. The spool according to claim 10, wherein in the shaft, a surface roughness of a radially inner surface of the insertion hole is larger than a surface roughness of a radially outer surface.
 12. A lacing module comprising: the spool according to claim
 1. 